According to a study, almost 60 percent of the total population in the USA had been infected with the corona virus by February.
As of this month, 58 percent of the population — more than 190 million people — have contracted the virus, according to a CDC antibody study released Tuesday.
The number is well above the 80 million officially reported infections in the country.
Most infections were not registered, for example because they were symptomless.
Around 75,000 blood samples were analyzed nationwide every month between September 2021 and January 2022.
In February there were another 45,000 blood samples.
The search was for antibodies that are formed in response to an infection and not to a vaccination.
According to the study, around 75 percent of children and adolescents were infected with the corona virus by February.
There was a particularly strong increase during the omicron wave last winter.
Almost a million corona deaths in the USA
CDC representative Kristie Clarke warned Tuesday that antibodies in the blood do not necessarily protect against future infections.
Earlier infections would indeed offer a certain protection against severe disease progression;
but because it is unclear how long this immunity lasts, people should make sure that they are vaccinated according to official recommendations.
In the USA, around 990,000 people have died as a result of a corona infection since the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020 - by far the highest number reported worldwide.
After a sharp decline in infections from mid-January, the number of new infections has recently increased again.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the corona virus on Tuesday.